To get a closer experience of the reality of Brazilian cotton farming, representatives of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) were welcomed by the Brazilian Cotton Growers Association (Abrapa) at the end of June in Brazil. The schedule included visits to farms, laboratories, and the association’s head office. 

ICAC is an international committee that brings together farmer associations, public bodies and consumer market representatives from around the world. Its main focus is to employ scientific knowledge, market intelligence and partnerships to foster the development of cotton farming on a global scale.  

The ICAC delegation consisted of the executive director, Eric Trachtenberg, and the chief executive Lorena Ruiz.  

The visits began at the Santa Rosa farm located in Campo Verde, in the state of Mato Grosso. There, they were welcomed by the president of Abrapa, Alexandre Schenkel, and by Fernando Rati, project manager at Cotton Brazil. 

On the farm ICAC representatives saw a number of the steps involved in the Brazilian cotton production process, which is currently at various stages of development. From this visit, it was possible to learn, in practice, how Brazilian cotton traceability works. 

The schedule also included a visit to the “Mato Grosso Research Institute” (IMAmt), where the main research projects being developed in the field were presented, with a focus on biological control and other management practices as well as regenerative agriculture. Following this, Mr. Trachtenberg and Ms. Ruiz visited a factory producing biological fungal pesticides used in integrated pest management. 

The schedule also included a visit to Abrapa’s headquarters in Brasília (DF), where the delegation was hosted by the executive director, Marcio Portocarrero, and the Quality manager, Edson Mizoguchi. In addition to getting information about the association’s institutional activities, ICAC representatives were given details about the work carried out at the Brazilian Cotton Analysis Reference Center (CBRA) – responsible for standardizing the classing of Brazilian cotton using international standards.